ΜΑΚΗΣ said:
και πως είναι το border με όλα του??????
The Standard
The existing Border Collie is not a breed without a standard. It has a very specific standard, by which dogs without registration papers and pedigrees can be Registered on Merit if they can demonstrate their herding ability to satisfy this standard. Whatever appearance standard is designed by the AKC and its chosen Breed Club (should it eventually designate one), it will not be the same standard to which the breed currently strives; it will therefore, by definition and unavoidably not be the same breed of dogs.
Even though the initial registration will come from the existing breed, the next generation of "showdogs" will have been bred under a different set of selective rules, and will already be at least philosophically different. After three years, when the AKC closes its books and no longer allows dogs of the original breed to be used for breeding, the AKC breed will have become a separate entity, no matter what its name!
This already happened at least once, when the "Lassie" collie was created. The working sheepdogs used to be called "collies." They became "Border Collies" to distinguish them from the developing show breed. At the time of separation, there was no real distinction; anyone can tell the two breeds apart now.
All of this is quite apart from the possibility of a standard being chosen which is simply inconsistent with the demands of the shepherding life. This may be in the written standard or in the fashions of judges who know nothing about these physical demands. This has already happened to some of the breeds (Labrador retrievers, for instance, are currently too heavy and short-legged to be of much use in the field; Siberian huskies tend to be showring winners with legs too short to run properly and with fluffy coats that cannot shed snow and ice; bearded collies look nothing like their ancestors, and have coats which obscure their vision, and collect burrs and mud). There has been some call for the USBCC to become the breed club so that we could set the standard and thereby avoid the problems of inappropriate physical traits being used. Unfortunately, although the problem will be made worse by the "wrong" standard, it is the existence of a physical appearance standard, and not its details, that is the danger. The currently proposed standard is flexible enough to appear to cover many of our dogs. In practice, however, an appearance standard, however broad it may seem, will subject the breed to all the problems listed above.
Although there is a popular belief that a dog that looks like his father (or mother) will work like his father (or mother) this is simply not necessarily true. Because of recombination of genes, it is no more likely that the pup with his father's markings is going to behave more like his father than the pup with completely different markings. If we were to set the show standard to duplicate in every detail the appearance of the latest International Supreme Champion, this would no more guarantee us a working breed than any other conformation standard. If we don't choose the pups that work like the latest Champion, we are not selecting the right genetic blend from the many possible combinations.
(
www.bordercollie.org - GENETICS AND
THE BORDER COLLIE)
Shepherds look for exceptional athletic ability, a biddable nature, and superior livestock sense. In general, a dog that is light on its feet, flowing in its movement, quick to cover its stock, and has great endurance is the most valued. The dog's temperament must be sensitive enough to bend its will when asked, tough enough to stand up to the pressures of training, eager to learn, with enough confidence and determination to carry on with its work without constant guidance. Some Border Collies are reserved rather than outgoing, but they must love to work with and for the master. While innate livestock sense is bred into all good working collies, their working style can vary. Most people admire a dog that works with its head low to the ground, with its hindquarters high and its tail tucked between its hind legs. They can run as fast as the wind, yet stop in an instant or switch directions without stopping. They don't take their eyes off their sheep. Their intense gaze is focused on the stock, willing them to obey, to go where the dog directs them, to stop if the dog blocks their path. The stock aren't rushed or afraid, but they certainly respect the dog. A good Border Collie's obsession is its livestock, and this is as it should be.
Appearance
While a group of one hundred Border Collies will probably look as if they belong to the same breed, they will not have a uniform appearance. Since a "good" dog can be judged only by its herding performance, there is no "breed standard" of appearance to which Border Collies should conform. In general, they are of medium size (25-55 pounds), with coats that may be smooth, medium, or rough. Colors are black, black with tan, and, less common, reddish-brown, all usually with white markings. Predominantly white Border Collies and merles, though unusual, also occasionally appear.
(
www.bordercollie.org - BORDER COLLIE CHARACTERISTICS)
Και κάτι που δεν ισχύει πλέον:
The Border Collie Standard
The Border Collie is never seen at dog shows and unlike at Dog Shows he is not to be judged by any physical characteristics. He need not conform to a particular colour, shape or size, length of muzzle or height of shoulder. His coat may be fine long and glossy, harsh and curly, or very short and sleek; all that matters is his brain, temperament, reactions to work and the consistency of his performance behind sheep. If he has a cast, a wide gather, a strong eye to single out the required sheep; if he moves freely, never barks, never bites; if he is prepared to take orders, is affectionate towards those he knows, regards his master as a sort of god and the sheep pastures as the equivalent of heaven, then and only then can he be called a first class specimen of his breed.
No man-dictated fashions have governed the Border Collie's bodily proportions; his outline has been modelled by the bleak mountain run with its gullies, screes, stone walls, wind, rain, snow and miles of heather, fern and rock. Centuries of running on wide wild hills have helped to evolve a small lightly built animal with a well co-ordinated frame and great stamina for work, mentally and physical beyond anything else in the canine world.
Despite the apparent insistence on breeding for working qualities alone, most Border Collies are in fact of a handsome appearance. The homozygous tendencies are very strong and although greys and merles occasionally appear, about ninety percent of these dogs are a smartly proportioned black and white often with tan points.
It is great if the dog is well-marked (classic) with the black, white and tan in all the right places, with pricked or semi-pricked ears, but a collie which a layman might find strikingly handsome would look ugly and ridiculous to the shepherd if his head and tail were held incorrectly high and, more importantly, the dog were to show no inclination to work stock.
The dogs "intelligence quotient" is shown more clearly in the carriage of his tail than by any other physical sign, and it is perhaps a pity that we cannot test a child's IQ so simply and with such a degree of accuracy.
In any case the plain, ugly or non classic mismarked or unusually coloured sheepdog with generations of selective breeding can give a stylish performance which is fascinating and beautiful and will easily surpass the performance of the most splendid looking dog with less good breeding.
'Beauty is as beauty does!'